Initial-letter Vignette "W" — Julia L'Estrange drops the medication for Sir Marcus Cluff (Vol. XVII, page 513) vertically-mounted, 7.5 cm high by 5 cm wide, signed "MEE." in the lower-left corner; also in the lower-left corner of the main illustration. Mary Ellen Edwards' twelfth thumbnail vignette illustration for the May 1868 number of Charles Lever's The Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly in the Cornhill Magazine, Chapters XLIII-XLVII ("A Special Mission" through "A Proposal in Form") in Vol. 17: pages 513 through 539 (26 pages including unpaged illustration in the instalment). The wood-engraver responsible for this and the main illustration was Joseph Swain (1820-1909), noted for his engravings of Sir John Tenniel's cartoons in Punch. [Click on the images to enlarge them]
This twelfth vignette opens Chapter XLIII, but the initial paragraph on page 513 does not mention Julia's pouring the prescribed medication for her ailing guest, Sir Marcus Cluff, who has called to acquaint her brother, George, with the discontent of the parish council. Since many are abandoning the Albano congregation altogether, Cluff intends to compensate the Curate for lost revenue until the numbers rise in the spring, when British tourists are likely to return in numbers.
“I'm so sorry my brother is not at home, Sir Marcus. He will regret not meeting you.”
“And I'm sorry, too. I could have broken the bad news to him, perhaps, better than — I mean — oh, dear! if I begin coughing, I shall never cease. Would you mind my taking my drops? They are only aconite and lettuce; and if I might ask for a little fresh water. I'm so sorry to be troublesome.”
Though all anxiety to know to what bad news he referred, she hastened to order the glass of water he desired, and calmly resumed her seat.
“It's spasmodic, — this cough. I don't know if that be any advantage, or the reverse; but the doctor says 'only spasmodic,' which would lead one to suppose it might be worse. Would you do me the great favour to drop thirty-five — be sure only thirty-five — of these? I hope your hand does not shake?”
“No, Sir Marcus. It is very steady.”
“What a pretty hand it is! How taper your fingers are; but you have these dimples at the knuckles they say are such signs of cruelty.”
“Oh, Sir Marcus!”
“Yes, they say so. Nana Sahib had them, and that woman — there, there, you have given me thirty-seven.”
“No, I assure you, Sir Marcus, only thirty-five. I'm a practised hand at dropping medicine. My brother used to have violent headaches.”
“And you always measured his drops, did you?”
“Always. I'm quite a clever nurse, I assure you.” [Vol. XVII, Chapter XLIV, "The Church Patrons," pp. 521-522]
Comment: The Hypochondriac is utterly charmed
Behind the character comedy of the medication vignette we encounter the sad reality of George's having to resign because of the thoughtless insurrection of his parish council, who have withdrawn their subscriptions. Sir Marcus's infatuation with Julia perhaps lies behind his trying to befriend the young curate, but George feels it only ethical to resign his position. He must leave at the end of December. Meanwhile, the character comedy rises to a pitch when the aristocratic hypochondriac, charmed with the way that Julia has measured out his medication, presents himself at George's study with an offer of marriage. Although Julia is amused, she is delighted when she learns that they are to accompany the Bramleighs to Augustus's diplomatic posting at Cattaro in Montenegro.
Scanned images and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned them and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Lever, Charles. The Bramleighs of Bishop’s Folly. The Cornhill Magazine 15 (June, 1867): pp. 640-664; 16 (July-December 1867): 1-666; 17 (January-June 1868): 70-663; 18 (July-October 1868): 1-403. Rpt. London: Chapman & Hall, 1872. Illustrated by M. E. Edwards; engraved by Joseph Swain.
Stevenson, Lionel. "Chapter XVI: Exile on the Adriatic, 1867-1872." Dr. Quicksilver: The Life of Charles Lever. London: Chapman and Hall, 1939. Pp. 277-296.
Created 8 September 2023